While there were some glimmers of hope throughout the year, the Boston Red Sox 2022 season didn’t go how fans wanted or expected it would.
So, how can they improve for next year? It’s going to take a lot of work and a busy offseason of overhauling the roster. In particular, five needs must be met. I won’t take the easy way out and say that two of the five priorities should be to extend Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, because everyone knows that the front office should sign Devers to an 8-10 year extension and Bogaerts to a 6-8 year extension. Both deals are well-deserved and should be at the top of their to-do list.
With the obvious priorities out of the way, the Sox must address several issues that this season revealed. Here are the four areas in which this roster must be improved so that next season is not a repeat of this one…
1. Who will be the Red Sox catchers in 2023?
When it comes to the backstop for 2023, the Sox are sitting in a weird place. They designated Kevin Plawecki for assignment before the season ended. As such, the Red Sox currently have three options: Reese McGuire, Connor Wong, and Christian Vázquez, whom they traded to the Houston Astros at the deadline, but seems eager to return to Boston.
The Sox acquired McGuire at the deadline, and he’s quickly proven his defensive skill with quick hands and has been doing well behind the plate for the Red Sox. He’s also impressed at the plate, including hitting the only three home runs of his entire season.
With his impressive performance and the several years of club control (three years of arbitration), McGuire seems to be a shoo-in for being one of the two catchers for the Red Sox next year. The question comes: who will be the second catcher Connor Wong or Christian Vázquez? Both are viable options for the Red Sox.
Bringing back Vázquez would definitely make Bogaerts happy, and he brings a solid bat to the lineup and solid defense behind the plate.
The other option to pair with McGuire is Connor Wong. He came to the Red Sox in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers and has appeared in 33 games over the past two seasons. So far, he hasn’t impressed at the plate, but he’s got the potential to be a solid catcher and he’s lightning-fast on the base paths.